The Life of Plants
Do plants have souls? That begs the
question of just what a soul is. Souls are the eternal life of a
being. Life has feelings, as a bit of God-nature within. Thus souls
are precious, valuable to other life- human life and the whole
ecology of nature. That sets the stage for my feeling for plants in
this setting of fall, where so many plants have to die because of the
season.
It was painful for me when there were
predictions for freezing temperatures which would mean the death of
many plants. I had to spade out some beautiful marigolds and place
them in a big pot and set them in the house which was already loaded
with several dozen other pots that we had brought in from the patio.
Also, I sniped off other small slips to prolong their life which we
would enjoy for a longer period of time. Some plants had grown so big
in the summer rains on the patio that it was awkward to find suitable
places for them in the house, like on the dryer and in front of the
patio door which hinders us from using that door.
It was with sadness that I observed the
plants outdoors, knowing that their life would be cut short so soon.
At the rental property, there were exotic coleuses shining forth in
their final glory and I had to bring home some snits and place them
in vases for replanting as a new generations of beauty, sustained
over winter, while their parents had to moved on into a next phase of
life. A day or two later at that rental I again visited those plants
and saw that they had mostly succumbed to the cold night, with only a
few lower stems surviving. I had to wonder if we should have some
kind of funeral for this dying beauty.
Back home, walking past some of those
preserved plants in the hall way that made passing a bit difficult, I
praised God for the beauty of those plants where God lives on in the
souls of those plants. They fill the house and I have to visit them
almost daily to see if they needed watering. They are my pets, more
patient then any puppy or kitten. They respond to me in exuding their
beauty with gratitude that I try to give them some sunshine view and
water for their souls. Yes they are alive. They share with me the
glory they have from God who generated them out of his love. They
reflect His sense and love of beauty and share that with me, an
indication to me that they also are God's children even as I am. No
doubt God cares for them just like he does for me. Thus it is sad
when fall comes for them as I am also reminded that I am in the fall
of my life.
Life is a mystery in many ways. The
beauty of it all. The transitions that are inevitable. The tragedy of
the seasons that bring death. And the heavenly Father who cares about
it all and lets it happen. Seems doubtless that we will ever make
sense of it all. We can only celebrate life by appreciating the life
God gives and resign ourselves to the inevitability of its conclusion
as God allows. Maybe it will all become clear in eternity. Meanwhile
we will just enjoy the life God gives in the souls of all creation.
More on the above mystery of life and death.
In our devotional thoughts following our morning reading we
were discussing the above comments on how I loved the plants and grieved at
their dying and impending death at frost time. We were struck at the fact that
life always comes back again in the spring, just as glorious as it had been
before, as if nothing had been lost, in the death of the fall freezing.
Considering that we also are in the fall of our life and that winter always
comes after fall, we recognized that life will continue after us and in our own
beauty of life, dedicated to God, in the lives of our family. We even
confidently considered that much more will bloom in the coming generations than
we did. Not more is lost than in nature as fall takes away one beauty to make
room for another beauty in spring to follow surely. An old man in the Bible
wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the
truth” (3 John 4)
JANUARY 6,
2016
